our government has failed us. the republicans' pledge is a plan to stop, stop out-of-control spending and actually reduce the size of our government. >> a government is out of control in washington and we need to rein it in and begin a new drive for a smaller less costly and more accountable government in our nation's capital. these are the things that the american people are demanding and our pledge to america is that the republicans stand ready to get it done and beginning today. listen, when republicans were in charge of congress we made our fair share of mistakes. i think we've demonstrated over the last 20 months that republicans have heard the american people. when all of us, every single one of us on the house side pose their stimulus bill twice, we began to send a message to the american people we were serious. >> democrats, of course, ripped the pledge to america for containing what they call the same failed ideas from the bush years. >> republicans have made a pledge but it is a pledge to finish the job